Hi Tiffany. It’s the end of the season at last! Do you have some time off? Yes! I have – well, my coach and I are still to determine how long – but some time off before pre-season training.

Do you really have time off, or do you just bring it back to a very low level? Oh no. At the time of the year when I am off, I am completely off. I don’t do anything athletics-related. I go on vacation, I go on trips, I eat whatever I like, and just be like a normal person for a little while!

Where’s your favourite place to run? Hmm my favourite place to run … I really enjoy running in Monaco; it’s such a beautiful and scenic place. I love London as well. Those would be my two favourites.

Do you remember your first ever race? [has a good think] Um, vaguely! It was probably at about six years old, racing my big brothers in the street

Did you beat them? No! At that age they were a lot faster. As I got older, I started to overtake.

When someone asks for a training tip, what do you tell them? Depends on the person and where they are in their stage in training, and expertise. Actually, recently a young girl who is trying to make the transition from university to the professional ranks asked my advice and I did tell her that one of the main things I think is to have an agent, that’s an important thing to have. Number two, it’s important to have a team around you, whether it’s physios, or trainers or chiropractors – or whoever you chose, people to help you with recovery. Number three, it’s really important for your coach and you to be on the same page for your season and for you as an athlete.

Do you run to music? I do. It depends what it is, if its a track meet or just a training session. But usually some hip-hop or some Afrobeats, generally.

Do you like your running gadgets? Other than my iPod, not really. We do sometimes use heart-rate monitors with my coach, but not often.

What’s the worst thing about running? When you get injured, that’s the worst thing ever, you feel almost like your body has betrayed you and you really can’t do anything except just wait. And, you know, sometimes us athletes can be a little impatient! So you just feel very helpful. So injury is the worst thing I’ve experienced.

So what’s the best thing? I would say the moment where you put together a good race and you kind of feel as though your training is all worth it. Whether that means you won the race, or you ran a PB, or you just fixed your start, or you just completed a good middle half of the race … whatever that is for you. For me personally, it’s just whenever I can look back and think: “Ah! All that training and hard work have been worth it!”

What’s your post-race indulgence? It really depends! I do like a lot of sweets. Cheesecake, or biscuits …

What’s the finest post-run biscuit? Not that I’ve thought about this at all, you understand .. [laughs] well I’d say a chocolate chip. I actually have been eating a lot of cheesecake recently, though!

What’s the farthest you’ve ever run? Actually I ran a lot of cross country in secondary school. Around 3.1 miles I guess.

What do you eat on the morning of a hard session? Again it really depends. Earlier this season I was really trying to stay away from the refined carbohydrates. But it depends: I don’t have much of a set routine when it comes to breakfast. Whatever is in my house.

Have you ever run barefoot? Yes all the time, actually. Just for the cooldown, though. Part of our cooldown is sand walks in the long jump pit; different exercises for your feet and ankles.

What’s your greatest running achievement? Hmm [long pause for thought] OK, my proudest moment thus far in my athletic careers has been the World Championship bronze outdoor last year, and then followed a very, very close second by my gold at the European championships this year. Those are my two proudest moments so far.

Mo Farah or Usain Bolt? Hmm …. that’s a hard one. I really like Mo, he’s a good guy, but Usain is so good, too. I would say probably Mo if he was doing the 1,500m!

Who is the greatest ever runner? Oh, that’s hard. I guess if you judge just off world records I would say Usain …

What about you personally, is there someone who inspires you? Believe it or not, my little sister! She’s just at university so she’s not running an international level yet but her story has truly inspired me. She went from secondary school, us not even thinking she was going to be a runner because she was just so raw – you know, didn’t know much about it, started a bit later – to now becoming one of the best runners ever to race at her university and she’s improving every day. I think watching her journey and her getting a full scholarship to run for the university has really inspired me. She really works hard and she really loves athletics.

What’s her distance? She’s a hurdler, too. She does the same event as me!

Sibling rivalry down the line then? Definitely!

Tiffany Porter competed at the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix. British athletics events showcase the best UK and international sports stars and encourage young people to take up sport, britishathletics.org.uk

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